[DEQ] DEQ awards water quality monitoring grants

DEQ awards water quality monitoring grants

March 31, 2015 

For More Information 
Dawn Roush, 517-284-5555, roushd@michigan.gov 
Karen Tommasulo, 517-284-6716, tommasulok@michigan.gov 

The DEQ today awarded nearly $300,000 in grants to universities, local governments and nonprofit organizations to monitor the quality of Michigan’s waters. 

Recipients include:

• Saginaw Valley State University received $61,449 to monitor the Bad Axe Creek in Huron County for phosphorus and E. coli and to determine the concentration and potential sources of contamination.

• The Watershed Center Grand Traverse Bay received $15,335 to monitor for E. coli in Mitchell Creek in Grand Traverse County and to determine whether bacterial contamination is present.

• Calvin College received $56,179 to sample for E. coli in Plaster Creek in Kent County as part of an effort to test tributaries and find the source of bacteria in waters currently not meeting E. coli standards.

• The Schrems West Michigan Chapter of Trout Unlimited received $24,450 to monitor water quality in Buck Creek in Kent County. This project will determine if Buck Creek is currently meeting the coldwater fishery designated use standards.

• The Kalamazoo County Office of the Drain Commissioner received $39,680 to monitor water quality in Morrow Lake in Kalamazoo County. This project will determine if Morrow Lake is a source of total phosphorus and how it impacts phosphorus loads to Lake Allegan.

• Western Michigan University received $37,262 to investigate the influence of road de-icers on the water chemistry of urban and rural Kalamazoo County lakes.

• The Clinton Conservation District received $29,036 to monitor and track sources of E. coli in the Upper Maple River in Clinton County using scent-tracking canines and DNA-source tracking.

• The Wayne County Department of Public Services received $35,830 to monitor the Rouge River for terrestrial insecticides. Sampling will occur in Oakland and Wayne Counties to assess the impact of the insecticides on macroinvertebrate communities.

Funding for these grants was made available through the Clean Michigan Initiative-Clean Water Fund.